Eagles News: C.J. Gardner-Johnson saying goodbye to Philly?

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Eagles Don’t Play Tag - Iggles Blitz
These are all educated guesses. I’m sure the Eagles would love to keep CGJ, but I’m guessing he’ll be too expensive and they’ll keep Epps, who is much cheaper. We know they would love to keep Hargrave. It’s all about the market with him. If the price is too high, he’s gone. If they can make it work, it would be great to keep him around.

Eagles’ 12-step offseason guide to free agency, the draft and roster decisions - The Athletic
3. Re-sign Javon Hargrave and/or C.J. Gardner-Johnson to big-money deals. Even with cap restrictions, the Eagles should be aggressive in trying to keep Hargrave and/or Gardner-Johnson. The preference here would be Hargrave to ensure Philadelphia has a proven pass-rushing presence on the interior. His age (30) is a concern, and you would like to keep the guaranteed money within the first two years of the deal, but he’s a premium player at a premium position. He’ll be paid accordingly, which could be prohibitive. But this is also a position the Eagles prioritize — and if they can’t re-sign Hargrave, they’ll need a strong solution at defensive tackle. Gardner-Johnson’s age (25) and development trajectory make him appealing, but this would be a matter of price. There’s a salary that would be too much for what Philadelphia should allocate to the position. If it goes north of $15 million per year, those cap dollars could be better distributed across multiple positions or at a more premium position.

NFL franchise tag window ends without the Eagles using it - BGN
That said, there was one report out there that the Eagles would look to tag C.J. Gardner-Johnson if they weren’t able to get a long-term extension done with him. It’s possible that CJGJ and the Eagles can still find agreeable terms. But one would think he’ll be looking to at least test the market at this point.

The EPA Podcast #18: Let’s get the contract extensions going + Eagles are going to miss Dennard Wilson - BGN Radio
The fellas are back! On this episode Shane Haff and Victor Williams talk about the Eagles contract extensions, concerns with the coaching turnovers and running backs that make sense for the Birds.

Slay eager to meet Eagles’ new DC and help ease his transition - NBCSP
Since Diggs left the Lions after the 2019, he ended up in Seattle, where he played under Desai in 2022. Last season, Desai was the Seahawks’ associate head coach and defensive assistant. Shortly after Desai was named the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, Slay had already reached out to Diggs to get the scoop. “He’s been telling me a lot about him,” Slay said. “I’m looking forward to working with him. But I’m just ready for the experience, man. I heard he was a smart dude. I love learning. So I’m looking forward to this.” In 2023, Slay has a base salary of $17 million at a cap hit of over $26 million, both tops on the team. So it might be time for an extension or a restructure of that deal to spread out the cap hit.

Ravens name Dennard Wilson as new defensive backs coach - Baltimore Beatdown
Philadelphia finished with the top-ranked passing defense under Wilson this past season and recorded 17 interceptions — third-most in the NFL. The 40-year-old Wilson will enter his 12th season as a coach in the NFL. He will replace D’Anton Lynn, who left the Ravens to join UCLA as their defensive coordinator in February. Wilson will inherit a talented group of playmakers in the secondary, including Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Williams, and Kyle Hamilton. Safety Chuck Clark (potential cut or trade candidate) and cornerback Marcus Peters (unrestricted free agent) are currently unknowns in Baltimore’s secondary for next season.

Daniel Jones, Giants agree to long-term deal, avoid franchise tag - Big Blue View
Schoen had hoped to enter free agency being able to pursue a higher tier of free agents than he did last season, when severe cap restrictions forced him to cut cornerback James Bradberry and mostly pursue players willing to accept one-year minimum salary or veteran salary benefit contracts. Getting Jones to sign, and getting some relief from moves with Golladay and Williams, should allow him some wiggle room to do that — even with Barkley on the franchise tag. There won’t be cap room for a mega-splurge, but there should be room to pursue a few players who might be looked at as more than stop-gaps.

What Daniel Jones’ new deal means for the New York Giants - ESPN
This was always Schoen’s preference. He made it clear at his end-of-season news conference that “Daniel’s going to be here,” even if it was on the franchise tag. But the tag would have been prohibitive and counted $32.4 million directly against the salary cap. That would have restricted the Giants’ ability to put the necessary supporting cast around Jones. The tag was always their backup option. The price point of this deal makes it clear Schoen and Daboll are of the belief that Jones can take his game to the next level with better weapons and more time in the same system. They view him as a perennial top-10 quarterback moving forward. Another year with Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka (along with some new and improved receivers) and they think the Giants can really take off with Jones as their guy. Because, quite frankly, he’s now officially their guy.

Question of the week: Would Odell Beckham Jr. suffice as the ‘big splash’ Cowboys fans are hoping for? - Blogging The Boys
So, is Odell Beckham Jr a free agent that would really elevate the Cowboys offense? He hasn’t played a game since the 2021 postseason, where he posted 21 receptions for 288 yards across four games. Those numbers lend hope to Beckham Jr. being a true weapon, even after taking a season off and suffering multiple leg injuries. On the flip side, his production in the regular season prior to that was nothing spectacular. In the last four regular season games, he caught 14 balls for 203 total yards and no touchdowns. But for comparison, in Michael Gallup’s last four games of this past regular season, he logged just eight catches for just 86 yards. Needless to say, Beckham Jr. would be a major upgrade opposite side CeeDee Lamb over Gallup unless Gallup recovers his pre-injury form.

NFL Free Agency: Daniel Jones gets paid; Lamar Jackson gets the tag and Washington shouldn’t make an offer - Hogs Haven
Lamar Jackson is reportedly looking for a fully guaranteed deal, likely 5 years, $250 million. This would be on top of the two first round picks the team that signs him would have to send to the Ravens. For the Washington Commanders, this would be a massive commitment from a team that’s ownership is likely changing this year, and a coaching staff that might not finish the season with Ron Rivera in charge. Lamar Jackson would be a massive upgrade on the seemingly endless parade of QBs that have not only passed through Ashburn, but have started actual NFL games here. Despite the rumors that Dan Snyder wants to make this fantasy a reality as one last middle finger to the rest of the league, don’t expect Lamar Jackson to be wearing whatever uniform Washington decides to put on the field next season.

Derek Carr Might Not Be the Upgrade the Saints Think They’re Paying For - The Ringer
The question that will determine whether this is a successful partnership is an obvious one: How much does adding Carr move the needle for a team whose needle needs to move a lot? He’s a quarterback and a pretty talented one at that, so it feels like it should make a big difference—the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, after all. But there’s also a wealth of compelling evidence suggesting that it won’t and that Carr’s best football is probably behind him. The signing feels more like a cosmetic Band-Aid than anything, which kind of describes every major move this team has made over the past few years. It helps to create the illusion that the Saints are going for it when, in reality, they’re just running in place.

Saints sign veteran safety Ugo Amadi - Canal Street Chronicles
Amadi was on the practice squad of the defending champs, Kansas City Chiefs. Amadi began his career with the Seattle Seahawks as a fourth-round pick out of Oregon in 2019. He was in Seattle for three years until being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles - who promptly traded him to the Tennessee Titans, where he was released midseason. Afterwards, KC picked him up.

Report: Bears tender Josh Blackwell, Andrew Brown - PFT
Blackwell originally signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent before the Bears claimed off him waivers during cuts after the preseason.

6 NFL Draft prospects who improved stock at the combine, and 2 who didn’t - SB Nation
Northwestern DL Adetomiwa Adebawore — Adebawore put on a show at the combine, and has seen his stock rise rapidly since the season ended. He put together an amazing week of practice at the Senior Bowl, and continues to improve. Scouts see a guy who is a ready made run defender, who is rapidly improving as a pass rusher despite his size. He’ll be a name to keep an eye on.

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